pared to controls.
Genetically engineered mice heterozygous for CTLA-4 (CTLA-4+/-), the target for ipilimumab, appeared healthy and gave birth to healthy CTLA-4+/- heterozygous offspring. Mated CTLA-4+/- heterozygous mice also produced offspring deficient in CTLA-4 (homozygous negative, CTLA-4-/-). The CTLA-4-/- homozygous negative offspring appeared healthy at birth, exhibited signs of multiorgan lymphoproliferative disease by 2 weeks of age, and all died by 3–4 weeks of age with massive lymphoproliferation and multiorgan tissue destruction.
14 CLINICAL STUDIES
The safety and efficacy of YERVOY were investigated in a randomized (3:1:1), double-blind, double-dummy study (Study 1) that included 676 randomized patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma previously treated with one or more of the following: aldesleukin, dacarbazine, temozolomide, fotemustine, or carboplatin. Of these 676 patients, 403 were randomized to receive YERVOY at 3 mg/kg in combination with an investigational peptide vaccine with incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (gp100), 137 were randomized to receive YERVOY at 3 mg/kg, and 136 were randomized to receive gp100 alone. The study enrolled only patients with HLA-A2*0201 genotype; this HLA genotype facilitates the immune presentation of the investigational peptide vaccine. The study excluded patients with active autoimmune disease or those receiving systemic immunosuppression for organ transplantation. YERVOY/placebo was administered at 3 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion every 3 weeks for four doses. Gp100/placebo was administered at a dose of 2 mg peptide by deep subcutaneous injection every 3 weeks for four doses. Assessment of tumor response was conducted at weeks 12 and 24, and every 3 months thereafter. Patients with evidence of objective tumor response at 12 or 24 weeks had assessment for confirmation of durability of response at 16 or 28 weeks, respectively.
The major efficacy outcome measure was overall survival (OS) in the YERVOY+gp100 arm compared to that in the gp100 arm. Secondary efficacy outcome measures were OS in the YERVOY+gp100 arm compared to the YERVOY arm, OS in the YERVOY arm compared to the gp100 arm, best overall response rate (BORR) at week 24 between each of the study arms, and duration of response.
Of the randomized patients, 61%, 59%, and 54% in the YERVOY+gp100, YERVOY, and gp100 arms, respectively, were men. Twenty-nine percent were ≥65 years of age, the median age was 57 years, 71% had M1c stage, 12% had a history of previously treated brain metastasis, 98% had ECOG performance status of 0 and 1, 23% had received aldesleukin and 38% had elevated LDH level. Sixty-one percent of patients randomized to either YERVOY-containing arm received all 4 planned doses. The median duration of follow-up was 8.9 months.
The OS results are shown in Table 3 and Figure 1.
Table 3: Overall Survival Results a Not adjusted for multiple comparisons.
YERVOY
n=137 YERVOY+gp100
n=403 gp100
n=136
Hazard Ratio (vs. gp100) 0.66 0.68
(95% CI) (0.51, 0.87) (0.55, 0.85)
p-value p=0.0026a p=0.0004
Hazard Ratio (vs. YERVOY) 1.04
(95% CI) (0.83, 1.30)
Median (months) 10 10 6
(95% CI) (8.0, 13.8) (8.5, 11.5) (5.5, 8.7)
Figure 1:Overall Survival
The best overall response rate (BORR) as assessed by the investigator was 5.7% (95% CI: 3.7%, 8.4%) in the YERVOY+gp100 arm, 10.9% (95% CI: 6.3%, 17.4%) in the YERVOY arm, an
